KENNETT SQUARE, Pennsylvania (AP) -- Barbaro's surgeon is "pulling out all the stops" to save the Kentucky Derby winner after he suffered a significant setback in his recovery from laminitis.

Chief surgeon Dean Richardson removed damaged tissue from Barbaro's left hind hoof, and co-owner Gretchen Jackson said Wednesday that the colt was lightly sedated and back in a protective sling in his ICU stall at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center.

"They're taking extreme measures," Jackson said. "They're treating it very aggressively. They're really pulling out all the stops to help him."

Jackson said she took Barbaro grass on Wednesday morning and said the colt's appearance was "not as bright." But she added that her husband, Roy, visited Barbaro later in the day and his appearance had visibly improved.

Barbaro was being treated aggressively for his discomfort and is in stable condition, according to a statement released Wednesday morning by the center. The tissue was removed Tuesday night.

"Things were marching along pretty smoothly until this," Jackson said. "We've been there before with him. He's a horse that wants to live."

Cast change a possible culpritThe setback comes one week after a new cast was placed on Barbaro's laminitis-stricken left hind foot to help realign a bone.

The cast change could have caused some inflammation, said Dr. Kathleen Anderson, Barbaro's attending vet when the horse was racing and stabled in trainer Michael Matz's barn at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Maryland.

Anderson said Barbaro has proved he was strong enough to overcome his latest medical obstacle.

"We all know most horses don't get this far," she said. "The bottom line with Barbaro is the fractured leg is the one that would have been the end of most horses. He won't be getting to the big green field any time soon, but I don't think this is insurmountable."

It was the first dose of bad news after months of progress that included the owners and Richardson talking about releasing Barbaro from the hospital as soon as the end of the month.

"It's sad that's he's had a setback because he was marching along toward living outside the hospital," Jackson said. "The only thing we care about is that he's not in pain."

Barbaro had become uncomfortable on his left hind foot and a cast was removed after some new separation on the inside portion of his hoof was found.

Felled during PreaknessBarbaro shattered his right hind leg in the Preakness on May 20. In mid-July, about 80 percent of Barbaro's left hind hoof was removed because of severe laminitis, a potentially fatal disease caused by uneven weight distribution in the limbs.

"I was there yesterday and it was obvious he was not comfortable in that foot," Jackson said. "The easiest and best way to work on Barbaro is when he's laying down. They had to wait until he was laying down and when they removed the cast, they discovered some reason for him feeling pain."

Just over a week ago, Richardson said Barbaro's right hind was getting stronger and should eventually be healthy enough to allow the colt to live a comfortable, happy life.

But he also warned: "Barbaro's left hind foot, which had laminitis, remains a more formidable long-term challenge. The foot must grow much more for him to have a truly successful outcome."

The disease, called laminitis or founder, involves inflammation and structural damage to tissue that bonds the horse's bone to the inner wall of the hoof. Richardson said in July that Barbaro's laminitis was "basically as bad a laminitis as you can have. It's as bad as it gets."

I used to read a book from the local library about another winning horse. His name was Man O' War, and the book was 'Big Red'. He won every race he ran--with one questionable one. It was believed that race was started incorrectly--that the other horse started before the bell rang.

Speaking of equine care and compassion, a couple of weeks ago near a town not far from my home there were a couple of horses who got out of their pasture on a very foggy morning. They wandered onto a four-lane highway and were struck by an oncoming car, which fortunately wasn't going very fast. The people in the car weren't hurt but both horses were injured, one seriously.

The veterinarian I use for the care of my cats responded first, along with members of the Second Chance organization. (Second Chance is a local organization that does a marvelous job of caring for horses that would otherwise be put down). They worked for over twelve hours that day doing all they could for the injured horses. One horse required surgery, but I'm very happy to say that both horses survived and are now together again at the Second Chance stables.

_________________

"Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."Honore de Balzac

"Democrats work to help people who need help. That other party, they work for people who don't need help. That's all there is to it."~Harry S. Truman